Demeter
by D.D. Heal
Summary: Months have passed since Black Knight made a move. When Rex takes on a case regarding the fate of the Demeter. He begins to question everything he believes in.
1. Chapter 1

One

Into The Darkest Dawn

There are a lot of people believe in, werewolves, aliens, ghosts. That's just kid's stuff basically, but EVO's on the other hand, that's another story. Months has passed since Black Knight made her move and I was on top of the Chrysler Building. Seeing the view of New York is an amazing sight, especially when trouble begins brewing on the east side. I picked up on a police comm saying an EVO was spotted on the east side. I flew in to check it out and it was massive, it took a few seconds to defeat it and cure it. A NYPD detective was watching afar and walked in.

"You're Rex, aren't you?" he asked.

"Don't tell me you're here to arrest me?" I asked.

"Ever since Black Knight took over, it's been a nightmare. One minute, Providence wants to solve the problem by curing them. The next everything change and they seek dominance. You might not remember, but my name is Det. Lou Chen. We met a while back when your boss threatened to blew up the city using a nuke," he answered.

"Yeah I remember you, you were helping out with the cleanup," I said.

"I'll buy you coffee as a way of returning the favour," he said. We headed to a small cafe in Midtown were we drank and caught up on times.

"Thanks for the coffee, Chen," I said.

"Not a problem, given that the NYPD mostly hates you these days, but some of us knew better. I lost my wife when the event occurred," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.

"Don't be, at least you brought me some glimmer of comfort. It's at least you can do in such dark times," he said.

The mood changed a squadron of soldiers burst into the shop and I immediately recognised the uniforms. "Oh great, what does the Special Projects want?" I asked.

An agent walks up to me. "I apologise for the inconvenience, Rex. We like you to come with us to Washington, now," he said.

"Not a chance," I yelled.

"In case you haven't noticed, we severed ties with Providence the moment Black Knight took and it's not a request, it's an order. And you know what happens to you if you fail to comply," he said. I have no choice but to go with them to Washington D.C. I was onboard a helicopter heading to the city.

"You still haven't explained to me what this is all about?" I asked.

"In due time, Rex. My people are picking up Dr. Holiday, Bobo, Six and White Knight. My name is Agent Clay Jenkins. Col. Moss apologises for not being here, but he does send his regards," he answered.

"That's reassuring, what about that explanation?" I asked.

"It's better if you take a look for yourself," he asked.

"We arrived at the docks, sir," the pilot said.

"Take us in," he ordered.

The pilot landed the helicopter neared the docks and we got out.

"Okay, that's a huge ship," I said.

"Say hello to the USS Demeter, the latest in the Navy's line of attack ships," Clay said.

Dr. Holiday, Six, Bobo and White Knight arrived at the scene. "Great, I end up with a Special Projects agent instead of Moss. This had better be good," White Knight said.

"The Colonel does send his apologies, but he does request that you lot should take a look into a sudden matter," he said.

"Why, what's happened?" Dr. Holiday asked.

"Several hours ago, the USS Demeter came into dock after completing a tour of duty in the Indian Sea. However, the ship was forced to make an emergency stop in Turkey due to an engine failure," he answered.

"Something happened to the crew after they left Turkey, didn't it?" Agent Six asked.

"Something did happen." Clay nods at one of his agents, wheels in a stretcher and removes the blanket to reveal an injured marine. "This marine was healthy six months ago, but now his blood has been drained completely dried from his body," he answered.

Dr. Holiday takes a closer look at the body and notices the bite marks on his necks. "Are those bite marks?" she asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," he answered.

"One word comes to mind, vampires," Bobo said.

"Well, there's a possibility that a vampiric EVO could be responsible," she said.

"That's unlikely," Clay said.

"Can we take a look inside the ship?" Clay then gives a tour of the ship to White Knight and the others. They board the ship and head up to the bridge. "So what're the details so far?" White Knight asked.

"Sometime after the ship left Turkey, the crew, including the marines began to fell ill. In due time, the ship's doctor, Dr. Carmichael began to notice bite marks on the crew's arms and necks. The first casualty according to the doctor's logbook was reported a couple of days after the Demeter passed Malta," he answered.

"Did the captain notice anything strange?" Agent Six asked.

"Let's see, according to his logbook. He mentions the crew are getting anxious and paranoid. Saying that the crew are being stalked by some unknown creature," he answered.

"My money says it's vampires," Bobo said.

"And I think you could be right," he said.

Rex is surprised to hear this. "Wait, you're agreeing with Bobo?" I asked.

"Sometime after the event occurred, the Colonel has a theory that the nanites could awaken long dead cells, particularly surrounding supernatural creatures," he said.

An agent then radios in. "Sir, we found the ship's security footage. Our techs are currently piecing the footage together to find out what's happened. Also, Dr. Maggie Watson may've figured out where the tragedy started. You better meet up with her in the cargo deck," the agent said.

"We're on our way," he said. We head down to the ship's cargo area. In the area, we arrived to meet up with Dr. Watson.

Dr. Holiday then recognises her. "Maggie?" she asked.

"Hey Becky, it's been a long time," she said.

Holiday then notices the wedding ring on her finger. "When did you get married?" she asked.

"Hawaii, it was a year ago. My husband suggested Las Vegas, but I told him that I'm not a fan of clichés," Maggie answered.

"Could we get back to work, please," Clay said.

"Right, sorry. Anyhow, the tragedy first started here because I picked up traces of dirt near the hatch," Maggie said.

White Knight takes a closer look at the dirt. "You said the crew stopped in Turkey due to an engine failure. Did the crew take shore leave in Turkey?" he asked.

"No they didn't," Clay answered.

"Also, this dirt isn't native to Turkey. My best guest would be the dirt came from either Bulgaria or Romania, near around the Transylvania area," she said.

"I got a bad feeling about this. There's one person who comes from Transylvania and it's Dracula," Bobo said.

"Really, it's like Holiday said, it's just a vampiric EVO who was just shortly of their feeding time," I said.

"Listen, I met a few vampiric EVOs in my lifetime and they never leave dead bodies lying around after snack time," he said.

"I hate to say it, but Bobo is right. What kind of creature would do such a thing?" Dr. Holiday wondered.

"That's an excellent question," he said.

"If you don't mind, I like to take one of the bodies back for further analyse," she said.

"Will do," he said.

"Does Providence know about this?" I asked.

"Don't worry, we're giving them false leads to throw them off the trial," he answered.

My cell phone rang and I answer it. "Hello, oh hey Beverly, now's not the best time to discuss. Don't worry; I'll be there like I promise. See you tonight at the French embassy," I said.

I sighed after a moment of relief. "Beverly again?" Dr. Holiday asked.

"Yeah, she's been getting her life back to together and one of her old friends invited her to a ball at the French embassy and she's been begging me to go with her," I answered.

"Then go, she'll love the company," she said. I left the ship and headed back to the base. It was around the evening I got changed into my tuxedo and met up with Beverly at the French embassy.

"You're late," she said.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was over at the docks investigating a scene," I said.

"Uh-uh, come, there's a bunch of people who're interested in meeting you," she said. We entered the embassy and I was out of place with the guests, until I saw a familiar face in the form of Noah.

"Hey Noah, I didn't know you were here,"

"Oh hey Rex, I'm not here by choice. My aunt works as a diplomat for the American embassy in France. What brings you here?" he asked.

"Her," I answered.

I pointed to where Beverly is and Noah is stunned by her beauty. "Who is that?" he asked.

"That's Beverly Holiday, Doc Holiday's sister," I answered.

"She has a sister and she's on the same level of attractiveness as the Doc is. Is she single?" he asked.

"Nope, she's taken, by me." She waves at me. "And she's calling out for a dance partner," I said. I walked over to her, while Noah leaves the embassy in a fit of jealousy. As we danced to the sonata, a group of mercenaries burst in and took us hostage. The leader then bursts in and walks up to me.

"You gave me and my men the slip back in Dublin, if it hasn't been for your Providence allies. Now the game has changed and you're still a catch worth catching," the leader said. Suddenly, the lights went out and something attacked the mercenaries in the dark. The lights came back on to my shock that the mercenaries are dead. Beverly is in a state of shock as she sees the bodies. I get my cell phone and rang White Knight.

"Knight, it's me. We got a problem and its related to our current assignment regarding the Demeter," I said.

Outside the embassy, Noah is mumbling that he hasn't got a girlfriend, until a stranger arrives. "You seem to be upset?" he asked.

"Yeah I am, my friend gets a date, while I stuck being the single guy," Noah answered.

"I see, is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"No, not at this moment," Noah said. He looks at the stranger and he then hypnotises him into become his servant.

"Listen to me carefully, I'm a stranger in this foreign land and I need your help to gather information about what goes on here," he ordered.

"Yes my master," Noah answered.

"If you do well, I will give you whatever you desire," he said.

"Yes my master," Noah said.

Hours later, Six and Bobo arrive and were in awe when they saw what happened.

"Holiday has taken Beverly home. It didn't do anything, I was standing still after the lights went out and after the came back on. The Syndicate squad was already dead," I said.

"What makes so sudden that the thing from the Demeter was behind it? Six asked.

"The bite marks are a dead giveaway," I answered.

"I knew we had problems with these guys before, but what happened to them is a bit extreme," Bobo said.

"Something tells me this ain't over, not by a long shot," Six said. The next day at a lab, Holiday was examining the body of the dead marine.

"The victim appears to have his blood drained completely dried and there's the bite marks. Something doesn't add up, and there's the nanites in his vessels. Where did they come from?" As she heads to the sink, the dead marine is suddenly revived as a vampire. He goes in for the attack and she is scared. Luckily, a Special Projects was on site and shoots the thing in the head. "What was that?" she asked.

"A vampire by the looks of things, you were lucky to be alive," she said.

"It nearly frightened me. I hate to imagine what would've Beverly become if she stayed a bit longer," Dr. Holiday said.

"Yeah, the whole crew just suddenly jumped up and nearly took a bite out of us. Fortunately, we shot them down, mostly," she said.

"Mostly?" she asked.

"Some of them kept coming right up," the agent said.

"The nanites must've revived them. If that's the case, we got a problem, a serious problem," she said. Over at the Lincoln Memorial, the stranger and a hypnotised Noah stood at look at the statue.

"I can't believe it's been over a hundred years since my defeat. So much has changed," the stranger said.

"It sure has, my master," Noah said.

I showed up at the memorial as part of a sightseeing session with Bobo. "Hey Noah, I didn't know you were here and who's your friend?" I asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself; I am Count Lazarus Vann, at your service. Your friend was kind enough to show me around this beautiful country of yours," he answered.

"You're from Eastern Europe, aren't you?" I asked.

"Close, but I'm actually from Romania. My father recently died and I came into a huge inheritance. So, I decided to treat myself to a around the world trip. Starting with America," he answered.

"That's great; let me know if you need any help." I left the memorial and head back to headquarters. I arrived to find the place fill with stench of undead corpses. "What is that smell?" I asked.

"Dead vampires," Bobo answered.

"The base was overrun with them. But we managed to get them all," Six said.

"Hold on, is this what happened to the crew of the Demeter?" I asked.

"Apparently so." Maggie then enters the room. "I just got a report from NCIS, saying they have a witness who saw someone leave the Demeter after it docked," she said.

"That's not all, the vampires all have nanites inside them," Dr. Holiday said.

"So they're part EVO, part vampire?" I asked.

"Yes, just be careful," she answered.

Six and I head over NCIS headquarters to talk to the witness. "Are you Providence?" the witness asked.

"Not exactly, but we're an interested party. You were at the docks a couple of nights ago?" Six asked.

"I work at the docks as part of the maintenance crew. I was doing the nightshift when the Demeter docked. There wasn't anything unusual at first, but I did see one person leaving the ship," he answered.

"Was it a crewmember?" Six asked.

"No it wasn't, but there was something unusual about him. He was wearing odd clothing, most likely from the Victorian era," he answered.

"This can't be a coincidence." Six's cell phone rang. "Would you excuse me for a second," Six said.

He leaves the interview room. "What happened after this gentleman left?" I asked.

"I resumed work for a while, but I soon discovered a stench coming from the ship. I went to check it out and that's where I discovered the bodies of the crew," he answered.

Six then enters the room again. "That was White Knight. He may've found something interesting," Six said.

Back at the base, we were sitting at a conference table, going through our findings so far. "I put in some calls to Interpol and I found an unusual case they took on a few years ago. Shortly after the event, a castle in Transylvania was vandalised and one of coffins in the crypt was smashed open from the inside," he said.

"That's definitely Dracula all right," Bobo said.

"Please, there's no such thing as Dracula," I said.

"We're not playing the scepticism game again," Bobo said.

"Come on, I've just seen every known EVO out there," I said.

"Well, there are EVOs that're still unaccounted for. Who knows, there may be an EVO who's tapped into the powers of the universe. I'm not saying there's such a thing, but it is a possibility," Dr. Holiday said.

"Does the Interpol report mention any victims or witnesses?" Six asked.

"There have been a few victims, most of which have suffered from some minor blood loss," White Knight said.

"It's obvious that whoever did this to the crew of the Demeter is still evolving. Or may has already evolved to the highest peak," she said.

Clay then enters the room. "If that's the case, then we need to setup patrols around the city," he said.

My cell phone rang, I answer it and it was Clare. "Hey Clare, is something up?" I asked.

"Something did come up. It's Noah, I'm worried about him. He hasn't been acting his usual self," she answered.

"In what way?" I asked.

"Well for starters, he's been hanging around some Romanian count and he's been seeing some brunette I never seen or recognised," she answered.

"Where were they heading?" I asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine. He did mention about going to the Smithsonian," she answered.

I put my cell phone away. "Where do you think you're going?" Dr. Holiday asked.

"To the Smithsonian and there's a chance that Beverly might be in danger," I answered.

"Just be careful," she said.

I head over the Smithsonian and headed to where the turn of the century exhibition was. I then see Noah and Beverly. "Okay Noah, no more games. Tell me who your new friend is or I'll." I walked up to them to find it was an illusion. "Where the heck are they?" I wondered.

"Aren't you the curious one?" I turned around to find Lazarus standing near the entrance. "And to answer your next question, they're safe for the moment," he answered.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I guess that's fair, it's time for me to reintroduce myself. Others called me Vlad the Impaler, but you can call me Count Dracula," he answered.

Now I really owe Bobo an apology. I used my goggles and I picked up a lot of nanites, but no heartbeat. "This is impossible, but how?" I asked.

"I should thank your science for reviving me. I gave me the opportunities I never had back in my day. The ability to walk in sunlight and more importantly, it evolved my powers." He then changes into a giant bat. "Now then, time for a game of cat and mouse," he said. He flew in and abducts a little girl. I went into pursuit, we left the Smithsonian and I chased around the Washington area. After a while, the girl was dropped onto a roof. I landed safely and walked up to the little girl.

"It's okay, everything will be all right," I reassured her.

As I walked up to her, Dracula teleports in, grabs me and throws me to the ground. He grabs the girl. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" he asked.

I then get up. "Now you mention it, I didn't," I answered.

"Do you really think that she and the human race would care for our kind? Look at us, we're the next stage of human evolution and yet, you choose to deny your purpose, why?" he asked.

"I don't deny anything, Count. I'm proud of what I am, but you're an undead creature, given unnatural power," I answered.

"I used to be human, but I renounced God and made a deal with the Devil instead. I was staked, eventually. But now, I'm revived and fully healed. Join me and together we'll rule this world," Dracula said.

"Here's my answer to every would-be world conqueror and despot who asked me that question, the answer is no," I said.

"Pity, I'll be in touch," he said. He let's go of her and she's falling. I leaped off the roof, grabbed her and the taxi cab broke my fall.

"That's got to hurt, are you okay?" I asked her.

She steps onto the pavement and reunites with her mother. "Need a hand, Rex?" a stranger asked.

He grabs my hand and I stepped onto the pavement. "Thanks for the help." I looked at the stranger and it was Col. Eli Jamieson Moss. "You," I asked.

"I know you got a lot of questions, but how's about lunch, on me," he said.

Minutes later, we were in diner having lunch. "I don't know whether I should punch you or shake your hand," I said.

"I can't say I blame you for that. The last six months haven't been that kind. I was made a fugitive by the government and there's a huge bounty on my head," he said.

"I got so many questions I been meaning to ask you since our last encounter in South Africa," I said.

"Since I'm no longer working for government, I guess that's fair. What is it you want to know?" he asked.

"Did you always know Dracula existed?" I asked.

"I did, but the British are reluctant to share that kind of information. So I deduced, I saw that little chase throughout the city and boy, Dracula made you look like a girl scout selling cookies before the Super Bowl," he answered.

"Thanks for the words for confidence, Colonel. What do you know about Black Knight?" I asked.

"All I know is she was appointed not long after they evicted White Knight from the post. I knew they would turn their backs on you, White Knight and me," he said.

"You knew that was going to happen. And who's they?" I asked.

"The Consortium, my relationship with them has been complicated, since from day one of Providence's foundation. At first, they weren't getting the results that they wanted. Then you came along and soon, they declared you a threat. Then you vanished for six months and now they resumed their purpose," he answered.

"The Meta-Nanites," I said.

"Correct, but I also have a suspicion that someone is pulling the strings, not the Consortium. Sometime after your disappearance, I want summoned by them to hand over all the documentation surrounding the Nanite project and its sister projects. But I detected a huge amount of dark energy and I was confronted by a being of unknown origin. I was thrown out of the window and landed on the hood of a car," he said.

"Wow and I thought I have it hard," I said.

"Yeah well, I always knew your brother would be easily swayed. Given that he's a bit unstable," he said.

"It looks like you knew my brother," I said.

"I did, I also knew your parents for that matter," Col. Eli Jamieson Moss said.

"What were they like?" I asked.

"Your parents were good people. To tell the truth, they were working for me as double agents, trying to expose the Consortium's plans to achieving godhood after they have some concerns over the direction of the project. I was on my way to arrest them when the event happened. A few months later, I reached a compromise with the Consortium if they set up Providence, I'll make sure that I don't release the information about their members and rotation," he answered.

"I never knew," I said.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm not sorry for your brother," he said.

Eli's cell phone rang and he answers it. "Sir, its Jenkins here. We got a problem, Providence is starting to see through the false leads," Jenkins said.

"All right, switch to the backup plan and unleash the Grimalkin virus on their software," he said.

"Yes sir," Jenkins said.

Eli then puts his cell phone away. "Listen, if you're going to save the world from Dracula. You're going to need my help, meet me over at the industrial complex in several hours," he said.

Over at a house, Dracula looks down on a sleeping Beverly as Noah enters the room. "All the arrangements have been made, my master," Noah said.

"Good, see to it that no one follows us. It's time to leave," he said.

"Of course, my master," Noah said.

Hours later, I was in a industrial complex when Eli arrived. "You're early," he said.

"And you're late. What do I need to do in order to defeat Dracula?" I asked.

"He's a hybrid between a vampire and an EVO. He is also an excellent strategist and swordsman, who led his armies to victory over the Turks over three and a half centuries ago. The real problem is overcoming his swordsmanship and his highly evolved powers. But I can help you become a better swordsman." Eli then draws his sword out. "You're ready?" he asked.

I then morphed my hand into a sword. "I'm ready," I answered.

"You better be sure?" We began our training session by locking blades in a mock battle. "The first rule of a sword duel is to be prepared for any known case scenario. It could be anything, from the environment to the weather conditions," he said.

"How does that help me?" I asked.

"It doesn't, the duel can go either way." We let go and I headed in for the attack, but Eli dodges the attack. "Second rule, your enemy isn't going to play fair," he said.

I tried to attack him again, but he counterattacks and I was thrown to the ground. "Okay, fair point." I then get up. "But what if I'm the one who's playing dirty," I said.

"A real swordsman knows honour and respect. A swordsman who doesn't know either of them is more likely to play dirty, let's continue. Third rule; be prepared to anticipate anything, from defence to launching an offensive." He lunges in for an attack, but I dodge it and counterattack him. "Now we're getting somewhere and finally, don't blink," he said.

"I'll keep that in mind," I said.

Eli's cell phone rang and he answers it. "Sir, this is Jenkins here. We got some good news and bad news," he said.

"All right, let's hear it," Eli said.

"The good news is we tracked Dracula to an airfield outside Washington. We got confirmation that he's got a hostage or two. The bad news is that Grimalkin virus didn't work, it looks like Cesar made some modifications to Providence's computer systems. To make things worse, Black Knight and her goon squad are on their way to put one of those mind control devices on him," Clay said.

"Hold position and wait until we arrive," Eli said.

"Will do, sir. I already forwarded the coordinates of the airfield to your phone," he said.

I took a quick look at the coordinates and I make a call on my cell phone. "Hey Knight, we tracked Dracula to an airfield. I'm sending the coordinates now," I said.

We met outside the airfield some time later. White Knight isn't happy to see Eli. "You got a lot of nerve showing up here," he said.

"Now's not the time to get into a fit about it. Has there been anything further development?" Eli asked.

"The plane Dracula boarded has already left. Also, Providence showed up seconds before it departed and they never stood a chance against him," Clay answered.

"We better go in and take a further look," White Knight said.

We made out into the airfield and what we saw was shocking. "Man, you weren't kidding about them never having a chance against him. Spread out and search for survivors. If you see any Providence agents with bite marks, put them down," Eli said.

Special Projects agents arrived and began searching the airfield for survivors. One of the agents finds and palm print on one of the survivors. "Sir, I got a survivor, but he's barely conscious," she said.

Eli takes a close look at him. "It looks like he drained the life-force out of them. Get a medic here," he ordered.

I then managed to find Black Knight, unconscious, but alive. "Knight, Colonel, I found Black Knight," I yelled.

The others rushed over to me and Eli notices the palm print on her chest. "Just like the agent, get a medic here also. The last thing we want to be responsible for all of this," he said.

"Hey guys, I found Cesar in the hangar and he's traumatised," Bobo yelled. We headed to the hangar to find more Providence agents lying on the ground, either dead or alive. Bobo then picks up Cesar and walks him over to us.

I then comfort him. "It's okay, Cesar, it's okay," I said.

"Well Jenkins, what's the body count?" Eli asked.

"We got at least twelve dead, to which we managed to put down. And twenty injured, including Black Knight," he answered.

"Sir, I just looked at the flight schedule and it looks Dracula has booked himself and a couple of guests a flight," an agent said.

"Where he's heading to?" Eli asked.

"He's heading to England, London," he answered.

"That's not good," Eli said.

"What's not good?" White Knight answered.

"We have no time to lose. I'll explain everything during the flight to London. Agent Poole, get Cesar to the hospital. Jenkins, get us some transportation to London, England," Eli said.

"Right away, sir," Jenkins said.

We left the hangar, boarded the aircraft in front of us and flew over to London, England.


	2. Chapter 2

Two

Land of Sunshine

We were onboard a helicopter heading to London, England. Dracula may've given us the slip back in Washington, but at least we're catching up to him.

"You owe us an explanation, Eli," White Knight asked.

"Have you read Bram Stoker's Dracula?" Eli asked.

"Back when I was in college, why?" he asked.

"Parts of the novel were omitted to prevent a mass panic from breaking loose," Eli answered.

"So hold up, you mean to tell us that every bit in Dracula happened in real life?" I asked.

"Part of it did, part of it didn't. The truth was that Van Helsing received some help from the British Occult Secret Service, a sub branch of MI6. With their help, they were able to defeat Dracula and end his reign of tyranny," he answered.

"There's more, isn't there? About the Count himself," Six asked.

"As some of you seen in the movies, crosses and holy water usually weakens him. Well, that isn't true. The problem those guys had with the Count is his healing factor. Fortunately, Abraham devised a serum that temporary delays his healing factor and it allowed him to stake Dracula easily," he answered.

"Why the big secrecy?" I asked.

"Do you honestly think that a bunch of people believe that Dracula actually exists? The last thing the government wanted was a panic. So they came up with this cover up and paid Bram Stoker to write the novel as a diversion, while they cleaned up the mess," he said.

"Sir, we just arrived in London," the pilot said.

"Land the chopper, pilot," he ordered.

The helicopter lands on the pad and we got out of the helicopter to learn that it's raining. "Well, at least some things haven't changed, like the weather," I said.

A couple of Special Projects agents walked up to Eli. "Well, what's the situation like so far, Agent Manning?" he asked.

"I just got the word from headquarters. We set up patrols around London," he answered.

"What about the plane he was onboard?" Dr. Holiday asked.

"We found it in an airfield near Heathrow. The crew are already dead and we put them down like the message asked if they have any bite marks," he answered.

"It sounds like that the Count is covering his tracks," Bobo said.

"But why London, there's nothing to be gained here? Unless it's to settle a score with the British Occult Secret Service," White Knight said.

"It's possible, we better go and pay them a visit," Eli said. We head into London and to the headquarters of MI6.

Eli walks up to the reception. "Hello and welcome to MI6. How can I help you?" she asked.

"We like to see the head of a particular sub branch, the British Occult Secret Service," he answered.

"I'm sorry sir, but that branch doesn't exist." Her phone rang. "Would you excuse me for a moment, sir?" She answers it. "Yes, of course." She puts it down. "Miriam would be happy to see you. She's on the third floor," the receptionist said.

We then head up stairs to Miriam's office. "She's awfully cheerful," I said to myself.

In her office, we enter the office to find a few MI6 agents were rearranging her boxes as she sat on her desk, doing some paper work. "Please forgive the mess the agents are creating. After your encounter with Dracula, we began digging out anything that can help you," Miriam said.

"So you do know of our plight?" White Knight asked.

"Indeed, we were going to send a team of our agents in to provide a few cover stories. But it looks like you already took care of that. Now you're here, I assume that the Count is already here," she said.

"It seems so," Eli said.

"For over a century, we tried everything to deny his existence. We even sent a double agent in during the Second World War to prevent Hitler from finding and resurrecting him. So tell me, how he came back from the dead?" she asked.

"When the event occurred, the nanites must've revived his cells and thus bringing him back from the dead. Now ten times powerful than he was before," Dr. Holiday answered.

"How so?" she asked.

"Well let's see. He can turn into a huge giant bat, he can cast illusions and he can drain the life-force out of a person," I answered.

Miriam leaves her desk and walks over to the safe. "When Van Helsing died during the early 20th century. He passed on his notes, research and anything relating to Dracula to us." She opens the safe, gets a file out and gives it to me. "This file contains the formula to the serum and possible intel regarding the creature," she said.

"We can't thank you enough," Dr. Holiday said.

Hours later, we were at the safe house as Dr. Maggie Watson reads through the file. "I read the formula and it's not good enough," she said.

"How come?" Six asked.

"This would've worked on him back in the day. Since he's now part EVO, there's a chance that he'll heal from the serum," she answered.

"Is there any way to modify it?" I asked.

"There is, to do that. I'm going to need a lab and a sample of your blood," she answered.

"Nice suggestion, Doc. But there's no way you can." Holiday sticks a syringe in my arm and takes a blood. "Ow, what was that for?" I asked.

"Here." Holiday then gives the sample to Maggie. "This should do it," Dr. Holiday said.

"Thanks," she replied.

Over at a disused cemetery, Dracula stares at a massive sarcophagus, while Noah and Beverly watched.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"This cemetery is home to a powerful creature. It's been buried here after the Crystal Palace was burned down. He was an experiment in an attempt to revive the dead by using various body parts stolen from graves around London." He opens a compartment and gets a book out. "When I was in London over a century ago. I hid a book known as the Dark Tome of Ages inside a compartment. Not even the great Van Helsing had suspected such a thing." A rat walks up to him, he picks it up and the rat whispers in ear and he puts it down. "It would seem your friends have followed us here," Dracula said.

"Rex will stop you, you'll see," Beverly said.

"I beg to differ." Dracula uses his strength to open the sarcophagus, places him palm on the creature's chest and chants an incantation. "Rise fallen creature. I bring you new life and release you onto this new brave world," he yelled.

He removes his palm off the chest just as the creature awoke and destroys the sarcophagus in order to get out. He stood up and looks down at Dracula. "What is your will, my master?" he asked. In the safe house, I waited patiently for a lead or something to come up.

"How long will this take?" I wondered.

"You can't rush science, Rex. This serum is a lot more complicated than I thought," Maggie said.

"How so?" Dr. Holiday asked.

"Completing part of the formula is easy, mostly the delay enzymes. But in order for it to work, I need a sample of Dracula's DNA to complete the process," she answered.

"How did Van Helsing acquired a sample when he created the serum?" I asked.

Maggie gets the file out and reads through it. "Let's see, he acquired a sample from the bite marks Lucy Westenra received. I know where to get a sample, I'll be right back," she said.

Maggie heads over to the morgue as we heard an explosion. "What was that?" I wondered

We took a look outside the window and saw a cloud of smoke. "Stay here while I go and investigate," I said.

I left the house and head over to where the smoke is. I arrived to the place a wreck, full of destruction. I then confronted the creature that was responsible and it was big and massive.

"First, there's Dracula and now I have to deal with you," I said.

"You must be Rex, the one my master mentioned," he said.

"Yeah that's me. Now, I want you to end this before someone can get." He throws a punch at me and it sent me flying through a wall. "Hurt," I said in pain.

The monster then follows me through the wall. "People called me a monster when I revived over a century ago. People call me Frankenstein and all other names. Out of those names they called me, there's one I liked. You can call me Solomon Grundy," he said.

I get up and lunge in for the attack, but Solomon intercepts and throws me to the ground. "Is that the best you got?" I asked.

I then get back up. "To tell the truth, there's more." He then slams me into the wall. "Much more," he said.

"Rex, we just heard an explosion. What's happening?" Six asked over the radio.

Solomon then throws me across the street. "I'm fine, but I have encountered an undead creature," I answered.

"Really, it sounds like you're struggling. We'll be there as soon as we can," he said.

"I'll tell you to hurry, but take your time," I said.

He then slams into the wall again until back up arrives. Bobo is disgusted by the site of Solomon. "Whoa, who did that guys makeover?" he wondered.

"We'll have time to ask it later on," Six said.

They went for the attack; Six manages to succeed while Bobo was a bit off. He then throws me to the ground and I get up.

"Am I glad to see you," I said.

"Right now, we need to stop it before it destroys half of London," Six said.

"You don't have to tell me twice," I said. We both attacked Solomon at the same time and we managed to tire him out. It worked and Six was able to deliver the finishing blow to the creature. It collapsed onto the ground just as Eli arrived.

"I just heard an explosion. What the heck happened here?" he asked.

"Why don't you ask him? But he won't be talking for a while," I answered.

Eli takes a closer look at Solomon and notices the palm print on his chest. "It looks like Dracula's powers do include the use of dark magic. This is worse than I thought. We better get a cleanup crew up here," he said.

A couple of hours later, we watched a surveillance clip taken from the cemetery.

"This was taken from the cemetery a couple of hours before the attack," Eli said.

"Great, Dracula can raise the dead. This keeps getting weirder every day," I said.

Maggie then enters the room. "I got some good news, I completed the serum," she said.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go find Dracula and end this nightmare once and for all," I said.

"It's not that simple," White Knight said.

"How come?" I asked.

"Dracula could be anywhere by now. Even we don't know what he's planning." he answered.

"Knight's right, we can't rush in before we get a good look at the situation. Fortunately, I just did that. I put in some calls to the British Museum and they handed over the manifest of the original Demeter," Eli said.

He places the manifest on the table. Dr. Holiday takes a close look at the manifest. "According to the manifest, it looks like several items were on the ship. Furniture, antiques and there's one unusual item, the Dark Tome of Ages," she said.

"Come to think of it, I did see Dracula pick up a book from a hidden compartment in the grave," Six said.

The phone rang and Eli answers it. "Yes, hold on Jenkins. I'll put you on speaker," he said.

Eli then turns on the speakerphone. "Colonel, we got some good news. The Providence agents, including Black Knight and Cesar have made a recovery. As a security precaution, we put in an amnesiac pill in their meals in order to make them forget about Dracula," Clay said.

"What's the cover story regarding the incident at the airfield?" he asked.

"Providence was following a lead on an EVO when they were ambushed by huge bugged sized EVO," Clay answered.

"Good, the last thing we want is more casualties," Eli said.

"Also, the techs finished piecing together the security footage from the Demeter and it does not look good. Dracula fed on the entire crew, leaving no survivors. But we did find something interesting. When he was in the mess hall, he stops for a moment and watch a news piece on the TV. We enhanced the image and it was Beverly Holiday on the screen," he said.

"So that's how he knew about my sister," Dr. Holiday said.

"And it explains why he murdered those Syndicate members. So he can turn her into his new bride," I said.

"Thanks Jenkins." Eli then turns the speakerphone off. "That still leaves one question, where in the world is Dracula?" Eli wondered.

"He could be anywhere. But what about the Dark Tome of Ages, there must be more to that book," White Knight said.

"The manifest gives a vague description of the book. Nothing more," Dr. Holiday said.

Maggie then uses the computer to search the MI6 databases for references to the Dark Tome of Ages. "I got a match, while the SS were searching for Dracula's crypt. Hitler also ordered them to search for the tome. According to his scholars, the tome contains some serious black magic. Given that Dracula is a skilled sorcerer, it makes sense," Maggie said.

An agent then bursts into the room. "Sorry to interrupt this meeting, Colonel. We got a lead on where Dracula is heading to next. He's heading home, back to Transylvania," he said.

"This isn't a coincidence," White Knight said.

"I guess it's time to move out. We're done in England," Eli said. We packed up, got onboard a plane and flew over to Transylvania. We were on a truck heading to Transylvania.

"So what's the plan once we get to Castle Dracula?" I asked.

"We go in and end this nightmare once and for all," Eli answered.

"I ran another analysis on Dracula's current abilities and it doesn't well. One of the hunters back then managed to get up, close and personal to deliver the serum into his bloodstream. Given that he's now part EVO, there's a chance that his skin will be thick and tough. The only way to deliver the serum is through Rex," Maggie said.

"Wait, you want to inject the serum into my arm? In case you haven't forgotten, it contains a sample of Dracula's DNA," I pointed out.

"I know, which is why I added a hint of garlic just to prevent you from building up any blood cravings. Right, take a deep breath." Maggie gets the serum out and injects it into my bloodstream. "That should do it, let me know if there're any side effects," she said.

The truck then stopped all the sudden. "Why've we stopped, Agent?" Eli asked

"The fog is really thick outside. Also, there's something jamming our sensors," the driver answered. We got out and took a closer look and we noticed the fog.

"Well, it looks we're going the rest of the way on foot. Maggie, stay here in case if anything bad happens to us," Eli ordered.

We walked the rest of the way on foot. After minutes of travelling, we arrived outside Castle Dracula. "Now who wants to live in a castle like this?" Bobo wondered.

"Not me, that's for sure," I answered.

"Any last minute tips you want to give us, Colonel?" Six asked.

"Just one, stay sharp," he answered.

We enter the castle and we began searching for Beverly and Noah. I checked the second floor, while Six checks the library. He then comes across a ghost from his past.

"Remember me?" she asked.

Six is shocked to see her. "It can't be, but you're dead," he said.

"I am dead, all because of you. Why did you kill me and my family?" she asked.

Six is terrified by her ghostly appearance. "It's a trick, it's just a trick. Get out of my head," he yelled.

Six then takes a deep breath as the girl disappeared. "Six, what's happening? I just heard you yell, are you all right?" Dr. Holiday asked.

"I'm fine, Dracula knows we're here. He's playing mind games with us. If you see anything unusual, just ignore it," he said.

"Acknowledged," White Knight said. Up in the drawing room, Dr. Holiday is looking through some old document when she encounters a ghost of her former self. "This can't be right," Dr. Holiday said.

"Oh, but it is. Why did you give into those bullies? Why!" she yelled.

She then sees her past of being picked on by the school bullies. "Fatty Holiday, Fatty Holiday," one of the bullies taunted.

"No, get out of my head," she screamed.

I and Bobo then burst in as Dracula teleports Holiday and Bobo. "Why don't you face me in person?" I yelled.

"Of course, come and find me in the chapel. That's where we are," Dracula echoed. I then left the drawing room and began searching for the chapel. It took me a while to find it and I burst in to find Dr. Holiday and the others chained to the benches.

"Welcome Rex. I've been expecting you," Dracula said.

"Nice setup you got here, Count. But I do have one or two questions regarding the Dark Tome of Ages," I stated.

"The Dark Tome of Ages is a powerful spell book of mine. It was given to me by the Devil not long after I became a vampire. I hid the book to prevent it falling into the wrong hands. Now it's back in my possession, I'll use it to open a portal to the Nether World," he said.

"So that explains it." I then morphed my hand into a sword. "Now, prepared to be staked, again," I said.

"You're sure that's a good idea. Why don't you come out, my bride," Dracula said.

Beverly then walks into the chapel, wearing a black wedding dress. I noticed the colour of her eyes been changed. "Hello, my love," she said.

I was shocked to hear what she just said as I stood down. "It can't be. What've you done to her?" I yelled.

"She needed a little persuasion, as did your friend," he answered.

Noah then enters the chapel. "It's over, Rex. You've lost, but it's not too late to join my master at his side," Noah said.

"Think about it. I can do anything remember. I can even make your dreams a reality. I can even bring your parents back to life," Dracula said.

For the first time in a while, I'm speechless. Knowing that I'm defeated and it's over. Eli manages to escape from his chains and stood up.

"You can't give in, Rex." He gets a pocket watch out of his coat pocket, throws it to me and I catch it. "This watch was given to me by your father. As a token of our friendship and to remind me why hope is still around," Eli said.

I opened the watch to find a picture off my parents. I cried as I looked at the picture and it reminded why Dracula needed to be stopped. I morphed my hand into a sword. "This ends now, Count," I yelled.

"You disappoint me, Rex. And I thought you have more sense than that." Dracula then picks up the tome. "Now then, let's take this fight outside," he said.

He morphed into a giant bat and flew out of the cathedral. "Get going, we got this. Destroy Dracula and the Dark Tome of Ages," Eli said.

I flew after him and confronted him on the highest tower of the castle. "You should've joined me," he said.

"And what, become a servant of the damned? I don't think so," I said. We then engaged in sword fight. Eli was right about Dracula being an excellent swordsman. Despite everything taught me, it was still a stalemate.

"I'm impressed, who taught how to fight with a sword?" Dracula asked.

"Sorry, that's classified," I answered. We resumed our fight and Dracula had the advantage. He threw to the ground and pointed his sword at me.

"Once again, you disappoint me. Did you really think you could defeat me?" Dracula asked.

"Actually yeah," I answered.

I grabbed his arm and I cured him. He is shocked to discover what is happening to him. "What've you done?" he asked.

"Easy, I had some friends modify the serum Abraham used on you. I nearly developed those blood cravings. But I overcome them," I said.

"You'll pay for this," he said.

"Yeah, about that." I then staked him in the heart. "I won't be expecting a payment any time soon," I said.

"We could've ruled the world. You and I," he said.

He then turns into a pile of ash after I staked him once again. I stared at the Dark Tome of Ages, knowing that someone could get their hands on it. I picked the book up, throw into the air and sliced it.

"Rex, can you hear me. Whatever you did to Dracula, it worked. Noah and Beverly snapped out of their hypnotic trances. Although both of them can't recall what they were doing in the last several hours," Eli said over the radio.

"That's good to know. Dracula is dead and the Dark Tome of Ages is destroyed. Either of those things won't be a problem again," I said.

I then flew back to the chapel to check on the others. A few days later at the base, Clay Jenkins and a group of Special Projects agents were delivering boxes to them.

"Eli sends his congratulations to you all," Clay said.

"It's typical of him to send a errand boy to do his work," White Knight said.

"Think of him what you will. But he did tell me to deliver these boxes to you. They contain all the files relating to the Nanite Project and its sister projects. Hopefully, they should aid you in some way and help you regain and restore order in Providence," he said.

"When you go and see the Colonel next. Tell him that I said thanks and sorry for ever doubting him" White Knight said.

"I will and one more thing. Don't ever send one of your agents to infiltrate Special Projects again. The Colonel was onto the Crimson Queen the moment she first infiltrated Special Projects," he said.

Clay and the agents soon left and Six is puzzled. "You got the Crimson Queen involved?" he asked.

"It's a long story, Six. Whatever happened in the past is done. Where's Rex?" White Knight asked.

"I think he said something about seeing a friend of his at the park," Dr. Holiday answered.

Over at the park, Rex was sitting at a bench, next to Eli; both of them were looking at the memorial.

"Did you know it would end this way?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, I didn't," he answered.

"Will you stick around for much longer?" I asked.

"It depends on several factors. Most of which involves a higher purpose." He then notices the military police around the corner. "I better get going before the military police arrest me," he said.

"All right, take care, Colonel," I said.

"Please, call me Eli. Oh, before I go." He then gives me a briefcase. "A week before the event, your father gave me this briefcase. It contains photos and possessions. He told me in case something bad to happened to him or your mother or both. He said to give it you and to tell you 'Sometime when you older, you'll understand the nature of my work. I know in the near future, people would call me a war criminal, but in fact I'm not. I'm just a man who wants to do his part of humanity and to restore faith. I know that I can't be the father you wanted me to be. Understand this; I love you and your brother, regardless of what you think'. I know it's not much, but at least he cared about his family," Eli said.

I then cried. "Thank you so much," I cried.

I and Eli then went our separate ways. Sometime later in Eli's safe house, Eli sits at a desk when a agent enters the room.

"Sir, we finished analysing the components that Van Kleiss used on Breach in order to evolve her powers to include time travel. They do not match any know patients in the database," she said.

"Figures, I knew the technology had to come from an outside source," he said.

"Also, we found huge traces of quartz inside the components. What does this mean?" the agents.

"That'll be it for now, Agent." He then leaves the room. "You lot just heard that, right?" he asked.

"Indeed, this confirms your counterpart from Earth 041808 suspicions. Someone's travelling between parallel Earths and is manipulating sudden events. To what end is a mystery," one of his counterparts said.

"I don't know, it also confirms another theory. The Null Void is the key, it somehow acts like a bridge between parallel Earths," he said.

"I'll send my science team to investigate this. Also, I think we should prepare for the forthcoming storm, the Dark Gods are returning," his counterpart from Earth 041808 said.

"If this is true, what are we going to do about it?" another counterpart asked.

"I and my counterpart from Earth 041808 have been devising a plan if that threat should arise. I think it's time to initiate the Guardian Initiative," he suggested.

"I agree, let's take it to a vote, shall we?" Everyone voted and they decided the Guardian Initiative should be initiated. "It's decided, from this moment. The Guardian Initiative has been activated. People, let's get to work," the counterpart from Earth 041808 said.

The End?


End file.
